This document dates from the time the first handmaids in the People of Praise were selected. It describes their pastoral role and their place within the order of the community.
Historical Note: In October of 1977 the coordinators discussed ways in which some women might help them care for the women in the community and agreed to conduct a consultation. Community members were to suggest women who they felt could serve well in this capacity. In April 1978 the first handmaids and handmaids-in-training were selected.
Although dated June 1984, internal evidence indicates that the following description of handmaids originally dates from around the time handmaids were first selected. It helps to remember that the term “branch” seems to refer to what today we would call “areas” and the term “overall coordinator” seems to refer to what today we would call a “principle branch coordinator.”
HANDMAIDS IN THE PEOPLE OF PRAISE
The coordinators, in order to effectively minister to the individual needs of women and men in the community, as well as to establish the right kind of cultural foundation within the community, have agreed to establish a group of women designated as handmaids.
Handmaids are selected by the body of coordinators. The women who are selected as handmaids hold that position as long as the coordinators hold them to it. The handmaids in a given branch are directly responsible to the branch coordinator. They function under the direction of that coordinator on the assignments he has initiated or approved. The branch coordinator will meet with his branch handmaids often enough to give them adequate direction and instruction to fulfill their mission along the lines established by the coordinators.
The handmaids assist the branch coordinator in executing his responsibility for instruction and formation of the people in his branch. Scripture indicates (Titus 2:3-5) the kind of service they are to render: being women of God they are to give example to the other women by the righteousness of their own lives, and they are to instruct the other women in a virtuous life by urging them to love their husbands and children, to fulfill their responsibilities in the home, to be chaste, sensible, and submissive to their husbands..
In particular cases, a handmaid may be sent to assist a given woman who is in need of pastoral ministry within the community. If the branch coordinator, in consultation with the woman’s head, determines that such a woman would benefit from meeting with a handmaid, he could appoint a handmaid to minister to this woman. If the woman is married, her head is her husband, and he must approve his wife being assisted by a handmaid. If the woman is single, she may be headed by a man or a woman but the handmaid will not normally become her head except in the case where the branch coordinator and the handmaid assigned to this woman determine that she should enter into a training relationship with the handmaid.
The handmaids also assist the coordinator in his responsibility of establishing women’s groups within his branch. For example, they might supply information necessary for the proper selection of members for the groups. The handmaids should slso [sic] be knowledgeable about developments within the women’s groups through their relationships with the heads of these groups.
Handmaids need to meet among themselves frequently for the purpose of mutual support and mutual formation. In order for the handmaids to function correctly in their various relationships, they need to have contact with each other. One handmaid is designated to have a major responsibility for bringing the handmaids together and enabling their relationships with each other to bear good fruit. She must be respected by all the handmaids and be subject to the acting overall coordinator in the discharge of her responsibilities. She should function in relationship to the group of handmaids the way a head of a women’s group relates to her group. She may be drawn from any branch and her tenure is not permanent. While she functions in this role she will have no specific branch responsibilities.
There shall be a handmaid-for-formation. She can be chosen from any branch and has no handmaid responsibilities within any of the branches; she may however, serve as the head of the handmaid group. She has as her special resonsibility the formation of the handmaids. She may, and possibly should, enlist the aid of other handmaids in the formation of any particular new handmaid. A new handmaid in her period of formation is known as a handmaid-in-training. The oversight of the formation of handmaids-in-training is the responsibility of this handmaid-for-formation. The continued formation, if necessary, of the handmaid-for-formation, is the particular responsibility of the acting overall coordinator.
We expect the life of the community among the women to be significantly reflected in the attitudes and understanding of the handmaids. Therefore, the coordinators should take seriously the advice of the handmaids concerning the character of life among women of the community. Normally, this advice should be communicated by the handmaids to their respective branch coordinator. They may, however, come to an opinion which may be presented to the acting overall coordinator. While the handmaids are not elders, nor function as elders in making decisions effecting [sic] the community as a whole, the elders recognizing the wisdom, prudence and holiness of the lives of these women, will do well to listen to their advice with great care. The elders need to keep in mind that they are the elders of the entire community—men, women and children—and that the group of handmaids, however distinguished they may be, can never substitute for the quality of leadership provided by the elders.
In light of the foregoing, we expect the handmaids, with the approval of the coordinators, to teach the heads of women’s groups, the younger women in the community and the handmaids-in-training. The women who have been selected by the body of coordinators to be trained as handmaids may be trained as a group. How the training will take place will be determined by the coordinator of the handmaid-in-training, the handmaid-for-formation and the acting overall coordinator. The acting overall coordinator is responsible for the training of the handmaids and he is subject to the review of the body of coordinators in this regard as he is in all others. The acting overall coordinator is ultimately responsible for the formation instruction and training of the handmaids, the handmaids-in-training, the heads of women’s groups and all the other instruction that handmaids may be asked to provide. He should exercise this responsibility in collaboration with the other coordinators designated to oversee teaching in the community. Various coordinators can expect to be asked occasionally to teach or otherwise form some or all of the handmaids or those for whom the handmaids are responsible. It is important, however, that no novel teaching by one coordinator to his handmaids take place without the concurrence of the coordinator responsible for their formation.
The handmaids-in-training will be assigned to various duties by their branch coordinator. These duties will be commensurate with the ability of the handmaid-in-training as judged by the handmaid-for-formation in consultation with the rest of the handmaids. The handmaids-in-training will not normally be present at the meeting of the branch coordinator and the branch handmaids. He will designate which of the branch handmaids he wishes to be responsible for the oversight of the work of any handmaids in-training in his branch. The formation of the handmaids-in-training, however, remains principally the responsibility of the handmaid-for-formation.
Normally, the wives of the coordinators will be distinguished for their womanliness and good deeds. One should realize the special circumstances of the life of a coordinator’s wife. She should enjoy and share in an appropriate manner the hnoor [sic] that accords her husband. While a coordinator’s wife will usually be distinguished in this way, it is not necessary nor automatic that a coordinator’s wife will be a handmaid. In fact, because of her extraordinary service she may need, at least sometime in her life, the special care provided by a handmaid.
Occasionally, the wives of the coordinators should meet as a group. The handmaids, however, should not address the wives of coordinators as a group. If a handmaid is assigned to the wife of a coordinator the two of them should meet in the context of a personal interview or in any other way which seems appropriate for such formation.
June 1984
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